University of Calgary and Glenbow announce historic initiative

November 23, 2018 at 8:00 pm

University of Calgary and Glenbow announce historic initiative
Glenbow Western Research Centre at the University of Calgary will increase access, teaching and research opportunities for students, academics and the public
The Glenbow Western Research Centre at the University of Calgary will be housed in the Taylor Family Digital Library. University of Calgary photo
The Glenbow Western Research Centre at the University of Calgary will be housed in the Taylor Family Digital Library. University of Calgary photo
By University Relations Staff
November 14, 2018
Two of western Canada’s leading learning institutions are creating an innovative approach to community-based research: the Glenbow Western Research Centre at the University of Calgary. Over the next two years, Glenbow’s Library and Archives will be relocated to the University of Calgary to provide the widest possible access to this remarkable collection.
“This initiative will provide new opportunities for students, scholars and the public to access the historic Glenbow collections by housing them within our university’s archives,” said UCalgary President Elizabeth Cannon. “The Glenbow collections will elevate the University of Calgary’s Libraries and Cultural Resources, providing enhanced engagement with teaching, research and public interest in Western Canada.”
This move to the university, for a 99-year period, closely aligns Glenbow’s collections with teaching and learning, and research interests at UCalgary. The relocation gives students easy access to another world-class collection and will benefit students in a wide range of disciplines including: local, regional and provincial history; social studies; cultural and social history; religious studies; geography; political science; military history and artifacts; and agriculture.
“We are excited about this collaboration and the prominence the university is placing on these important research materials,” says Glenbow Board Chair Irfhan Rawji. “The university will be able to ensure greater public and academic access than Glenbow is currently able to provide. By leveraging this new space at the university to feature part of Glenbow’s collection, we can focus on ensuring other impressive aspects of our collection – such as our vast array of contemporary and historical art – have more room to be displayed in our building for the public to enjoy.”
The collections include provincially owned archives currently held by Glenbow and stewarded in accordance with existing standards that Glenbow is responsible for providing under the Glenbow-Alberta Institute Act and its service agreement with the Province. The Province of Alberta has approved the relocation agreement.
“The Glenbow Western Research Centre will ensure the long-term conservation of – and expanded public access to – these valuable records that help tell our shared stories and history,” said Ricardo Miranda, minister of culture and tourism for the Government of Alberta. “I support this initiative because it supports our government’s efforts to further enhance Alberta’s archives.”
The addition of the Glenbow collections to the University of Calgary is made possible through the generous support of the Calgary community. Bill Siebens and family are providing support integral to the relocation. Other donors, passionate about preserving Western Canadian history and culture, may contribute to support the relocation of the collections to the university and their ongoing stewardship.
“We were inspired to make this significant gift as we believe it is critical to preserve the valuable records and artifacts that illustrate who we are as Albertans; who we are as Western Canadians. With society moving at such an incredible pace, and with technology changing before our eyes, we felt a responsibility to preserve that which came before us so that future generations can explore, and learn from, the rich lessons of the past,” said Bill Siebens. “The cultural resources contained in the library and archives are treasured stories of families, of commerce, of struggle – all woven in with the innovation and progress that brought us to where we are today. We are proud that the centre will serve as an invaluable resource for students, faculty, researchers and the general public. We know that its vast archival holdings will help inform future decision-making related to all facets of community life.”
The Glenbow Western Research Centre will be located in the Taylor Family Digital Library and the collections will be stewarded by experts in UCalgary’s Libraries and Cultural Resources. The transition will take place over the next two years, beginning in January 2019, with the new location expected to open in the fall of 2019. Details on the relocation will be available atucalgary.ca/glenbow to ensure smooth transition and clear access to materials.
The Siebens family contribution is part of the university’s ongoing fundraising campaign, Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High. The campaign is currently at $1.126 billion towards its overall goal of $1.3 billion.
About Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High
Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High is the University of Calgary’s most ambitious fundraising campaign in its history. Funds raised through the campaign will support student experiences, research outcomes and community connections. Together we are fueling transformational change for the University of Calgary, our city, and beyond — inspiring discovery, creativity and innovation for generations to come. Formally launched in April 2016, the campaign is more than two thirds to its overall goal of $1.3 billion.

ICAP's New Logo!

March 27, 2018 at 12:48 pm

ICAP is pleased to launch its new logo, just in time for the new membership and membership renewal drive, beginning April 1st. ICAP's brand new website is also just about to launch! Check for updates in the next few weeks!

ICAP is pleased to announce plans for its 8th ANNUAL CONFERENCE & AGM -- AUGUST 24-25, 2018, Calgary, AB. In collaboration with Sarracini Travel, ICAP has organized a pre-conference historical AB & BC motor coach tour (August 19-23, 2018) in which participants travel from Calgary through southern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia stopping in and visiting the sites where Italian Canadians have shaped local history. These include Calgary itself, Crowsnest Pass, Nelson, Fernie, Trail, Revelstoke, Emerald Lake, Canmore, and Kananaskis. ICAP collaborators, including the local museum staff, will be on hand to describe their collections and give insights into the contributions of Italian-Canadians. ICAP’s 8th conference is an opportunity to understand more closely the contributions of those who arrived in Western Canada by means of labour recruitment programs established by the Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway and Dominion Coal Company. These companies recruited labourers to work on railway construction, to clear bush in Canada's hinterland or to engage in other forms of manual labour. Between the years 1901 and 1911, as they followed work opportunities and kinship chains, almost 2 million Italians arrived in North America, including 60,000 who came directly to Canada. ICAP participants will learn of the contributions of local figures such Gene Cioni, Lorenzo Grassi, and many others. Spread the news and join us!
View the brochure! View Conference Page

WINTER--SPRING UPDATE 2017

February 28, 2017 at 3:30 pm

Welcome to 2017 and our Winter - Spring update. Following our very successful 6th annual FALL conference and workshop 21st Century Approaches to Preserving Italian-Canadian Narratives: Engagement, Identification, Sharing in London, Ontario jointly co-hosted by the Marconi Club and University of Western Ontario, we are working through the recommendations that emerged and new connections.
A very big welcome to new Board Members, Antonio Calcagno (University of Western Ontario), Michael Iannozzi (Graduate Student, University of Western Ontario) and Caterina Maria Bueti Sotiriadis (Winnipeg) and many thanks for the renewed commitment and continuing service of re-elected Board of Director members and local and international advisors who continue to assist ICAP in partnering and connecting with other interested individuals, community groups, organizations, and institutions across Canada. ICAP is making new inroads with communities in Winnipeg, Calgary, and Edmonton who, in turn, are developing their own networks and organizing themselves to identify and document materials that describe the contributions of their local Italian Canadians and disseminating them across the ICAP network.
Exciting new developments for 2017: 1) an enhanced website with universal accessibility; 2) our own ICAP You Tube channel for disseminating video materials; 3) the participation of ICAP members in the Heritages of Migration international conference in Buenos Aires in April 2017 and 4) the 7th annual conference scheduled for September 2017.
We invite you to visit ICAP.CA, browse our resources, connect with us and become an ICAP member and supporter: https://icap.ca/join-icap/